From the Highlands to the far edges of Islay and Shetland, a whole batch of new Scottish distilleries, gin and whisky brands opened their doors in 2025.
Whether you fancy tasting inventive new gin or whisky styles, meeting small independent producers, or exploring beautifully designed new visitor centres, here are the distilleries to put on your 2026 Scottish itinerary.
Here are the best new distilleries in Scotland to visit in 2026.
Dunrobin Highland Distillery
Sprits: Gin
Distillery location: Dunrobin Castle, Golspie
Dunrobin Highland Distillery makes its home on Scotland’s northeast coast beside Golspie at the incredible Dunrobin Castle.
The distillery makes gin using spring water from the hills feeding the Golspie Burn, and botanicals from the castle’s surrounding woodland and gardens, which provide the aromatic leaves and roots.
Although the distillery itself isn’t open for tours yet, Dunrobin runs a pop-up tasting shop at Dunrobin Castle from 1 April 2026, where you can sample and purchase the gin.
You can also buy Dunrobin Gin online.
Travel tip: Stay at Dunrobin Cottages for easy access to the castle and distillery shop—one cottage is even located inside the castle grounds.
Ardgowan Distillery
Spirits: Whisky
Distillery location: Inverkip, on the Clyde coast
Ardgowan Distillery opened its doors on 20 June 2025 – and it’s a beauty.
The first new distillery in Inverclyde in over 100 years, Ardgowan arrives with serious style: a striking, Nordic-inspired long-hall design and a big commitment to sustainability.
Located at Bankfoot Farm, Inverkip, Ardgowan Distillery is the home of Clydebuilt, a boutique Scotch whisky collection inspired by the River Clyde’s famed shipbuilding heritage.
Ardgowan have also developed a new custom cask design, the first in a century. Called the Infinity Cask, it is made from European oak and built for long maturation times of eighteen years minimum.
Book a tour at Ardgowan. Why not stay nearby at the Inverkip Hotel?
Luss Distillery
Spirits: Whisky and Gin
Distillery location: Luss, Loch Lomond
On the west bank of Loch Lomond, the Loch Lomond Group’s new distillery and visitor centre in Luss opened in autumn 2025, creating a waterfront brand home for Loch Lomond whisky and Ben Lomond Gin.
Built partly in a converted smokehouse near the loch, the new distillery centre offers guided tours, both gin and whisky tasting experiences, and a cafe.
Book a tour at Luss Distillery. My favourite places to stay nearby to make the most of your visit to the Luss Distillery include The Lodge on the Loch Lomond Hotel and the Loch Lomond Arms Hotel.
Lerwick Distillery
Spirits: Whisky
Distillery location: Lerwick, Shetland
If you like being able to say, “I went there before everyone else,” this one is for you.
Lerwick Distillery opened in 2025 as the first whisky distillery in Shetland, founded by locals Martin Watt and Calum Miller with veteran master distiller Ian Millar involved.
You’ll have to wait a few years for the first Sheltand single malt, but until then you can visit the distillery and learn all about making whisky in an oceanic sub-Arctic climate at 60 degrees north!
Book a visit to Lerwick Distillery.
Travel tip: Getting to Shetland takes commitment (flight or overnight ferry), so build Lerwick Distillery into a broader island itinerary.
Stannergill Distillery
Spirits: Gin, Vodka and Whisky
Distillery location: Castletown Mill, Castletown (near Thurso)
Stannergill Distillery opened on 18 November 2025 inside the restored Castletown Mill, a landmark on Scotland’s far north coast.
Led by the team behind Dunnet Bay Distillers (who make Rock Rose Gin and Holy Grass Vodka) the project has transformed a derelict grain mill into a working whisky distillery with a restaurant and shop, directly on the NC500.
Tours of the distillery start at Easter 2026, and whilst the distillery is busy producing whisky, you can book a table at their new restaurant.
Vist Stannergill Distillery and plan your own North Coast 500 trip with my guides.
Glencadam Distillery
Sprits: Whisky
Distillery location: Brechin, Angus
Glencadam Distillery dates back to 1825, but in 2025, 200 years after it started producing whisky, the distillery opened its doors to the public.
A new multi-million-pound visitor centre in Brechin officially opened in November 2025, with immersive tours, an exhibition about the distillery’s history, a whisky lounge, café and shop.
Visit Glencadam Distillery
Glasgow Distillery
Sprits: Whisky, Gin, Rum and Vodka
Distillery location: Hillington, Glasgow
Glasgow Distillery has been producing whisky, gin, vodka and rum since 2012, but 2025 was the first year Glasgow Distillery opened up regular public tours.
In July 2025, they launched The Glasgow Distillery Experience, a two-hour tour and tasting that finally lets visitors into the city’s first independent single malt distillery in over 100 years.
The tour includes meeting the team behind the production of whisky, gin, vodka, and rum, and sampling whisky straight from the cask in the on-site cask warehouse.
You will taste 7 whiskies in total, with an option to try further products from their wider portfolio of gin, vodka, and rum.
You will also see a live coopering demonstration, it is rare to see coopers at work today.
Visit Glasgow Distillery.
Benbecula Distillery
Sprits: Whisky
Distillery location: Benbecula (Outer Hebrides)
Benbecula Distillery started distilling in 2024, but it’s still brand-new, and 2025 was its first proper year of operation.
This Outer Hebrides distillery is a family project from crofter Angus MacMillan with help from master distiller Brendan McCarron.
The Benbecula Distillery visitor centre is fabulous with a lighthouse (echoing the Stevenson Lighthouse on
the nearby Monach Islands) which houses the distillery’s handmade copper pot still.
Benbecula will be producing a lightly peated whisky described as “classically marine in style, smoky on
the nose with salty and sweetly peated notes”. Yum.
Book a tour of Benbecula Distillery.
Travel tip: Benbecula sits between North and South Uist in the Outer Hebrides. If you’re doing a Hebridean hopscotch (ferries via Skye / Uig, or from Oban), plan at least one full day on Benbecula to allow for the distillery and visiting local beaches.
More whisky in Scotland guides
You might also like
- A beginner’s guide to Scottish whisky
- A guide to the whiskies of Islay and the Speyside region
- Sustainable whisky in Scotland – the distilleries leading the way + those to visit
Slainte-mhath! [your good health]
Love, from Scotland x